COURT DISMISSES MP'S CASE TO STOP GNPC $700M LOAN

The commercial division of an Accra Fast Track
High court has dismissed an injunction
application brought before it by three Members
of Parliament, seeking to stop the Ghana
National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) from
securing a $700 million dollar loan.
According to the MPs; Dr. Mathew Opoku
Prempeh, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei and Samuel
Atta Akyea, GNPC illegally side-stepped the
House in the process.
They wanted the court to  direct the GNPC to
suspend any transactions relating to the
procurement of the loan, at least until hearing
of the substantive case is concluded.
But the presiding judge Justice Mrs.A.Bartels-
Kodwo ruled against their plea and said the
MPs could not establish a prima facie case
against GNPC.
The MPs were represented in court by lawyers
Egbert Faibille and Nana Asante Bediatuo while
the defendants (GNPC) were represented by
Emefa Heartcastle and Sefakor Akpabla.
According to Samuel Atta Akyea, who was the
only applicant in court , the ruling was a
“travesty of justice”.
“By the close of the week , we should have
lodged an appeal”, he revealed
The MPs are expecting the court to declare that
the GNPC “contracting , procuring, securing or
otherwise acquiring or drawing down on the
loan facility or any other loan without prior
approval of parliament is unconstitutional ,
unlawful , null and void”.
They want a further declaration that
“defendants’s decision to undertake
programme of projects without parliamentary
approval is ultra vires and vilates the petroleum
revenue management act 2011(act 815) and is
therefore null and void”.

Source:citifmonline